WILD SWAN. 
mandible, and toothed on it's edges, both above 
and below, it*s whole length ; the tongue Is of 
a flesh-colour, jagged on it's sides like a bearded 
arrow. I found the plumage of the whole bird 
perfe6lly white, and spotless ^ though Wil- 
lughby says, the White Swan has some 
clouds and spots of a dusky colour. I sup- 
pose, his mig^ht be a young bird not perfedlly 
moulted. When I had taken off the upper 
feathers, I found the skin covered with an ex- 
ceedingly line;, soft down, of a snowy white- 
;iess. The legs and feet are covered with small 
scales, of a blackish brown colour. It has 
three toes standing forward, connedled toge- 
ther by black membranes, with a lateral mem- 
brane on the inside of the inner toe : the back 
toe is small; the claws are black. Some of 
these birds were found in our London markets, 
in the hard winter 1739-40, where I bought 
the above described. They wjio would see it's 
anatomy, may consult Willughby's Ornidio- 
logy. My own experience in tliis bird has 
confirmed to me the wonderfiii stru6lure of 
the windpipe ; which enters a cavity in tbe 
breast-bone, and returns from thence again, 
before it is inserted into the lungs." 
He 
